Channel Mum, YouTube and Vlogging

Last month I came across Channel Mum - a brand new (and the UK's first) YouTube network for Mums, who's motto is "The honest face of parenting". They were (and still are) offering to sponsor one hundred Mums who aspire to grow a channel on YouTube. Channel Mum Founder, Siobhan Freegard OBE, previously founded the UK’s biggest parenting website, Netmums and is now helping, supporting and advising the vloggers who are accepted on to the Channel Mum sponsorship programme. 

Before applying for sponsorship from Channel Mum, I spent quite a while reading through all of the information on their website. I've always had a bit of an interest in vlogging, my interest began even before I started blogging. I used to watch people like Anna Saccone and feel like I wanted to document my own life in a similar way to some of the vloggers that I watched were. Being an introvert - I've always been quite shy and like most people, I tend to find it a little awkward turning the camera on myself. But my desire to want to document my life never dulled. When I got married and found out I was expecting our first child, I knew that that was the moment in my life that I needed to start recording the little moments - they were too magical to not capture and I worried that over time I'd forget the smaller details. And so I turned to blogging and that was when "Bump to Baby" was born. 

Blogging has always suited me, I'm able to put myself out there and network with like-minded people whilst capturing the magical moments as well as the ordinary and more tougher moments. Blogging has taught me so much, it's also sparked an interest in photography for me and it's taught me how to feel confident about putting myself 'out there'. I've even dabbled in YouTube several times and felt great for doing so. The first video I ever uploaded made me feel so confident and it was lovely to receive a positive response from the people who sat and watched it. I feel like even though I've not uploaded that many videos, whenever I have - I've been less and less nervous with each one, 

Though I'm passionate about my blog and often blog daily, my interest in YouTube has never faded, I've remained keen to attempt to take on the challenge of becoming more of a regular vlogger. There are several reasons as to why and they are as follows.. I want to increase my own confidence and I feel like being brave enough to sit and film videos and then upload them to YouTube will help with this substantially. The next reason is that I think that video is a wonderful way to freeze a moment in time, like a photograph but with a million more details and emotions. And the last reason is because I think that it'll be great to offer those of you who regularly read my blog a bit more of an insight into my life and who I am. I personally really like getting to know the people who write some of my favourite blogs a bit more by watching them via YouTube (if they have a channel connected to their blog).

And so with recently discovering the new Channel Mum network and with this in the forefront of my mind, I decided that the Channel Mum opportunity was one that I didn't want to ignore. I knew that there would be lots of people applying but I didn't let it put me off. I filled out the application form, pressed send and crossed my fingers. Fortunately, I heard back from them a few weeks later - they wanted me to send them a video of myself and so I sat down and recorded this video (below), with a little help from a certain little someone, who decided half way through to ever-so-slightly wreck my set up! I sent my video off  and heard back from them a few weeks after - excitingly, they wanted to offer me sponsorship! 

                      

I feel totally thrilled, excited and very honoured to have been chosen. I'm so excited to get started with regular vlogging. I know it's going to be a lot of work being combined with my usual blogging, being a Mum to a toddler and having a newborn due to arrive in June.. But I like a challenge and like I said - I really feel like being involved with Channel Mum is something that I didn't want to miss out on! I've just received a brand new Panasonic HC-W570 twin camera in the post today, which is what I'm going to be using to film my videos going forward. I've lusted over a Panasonic camera for a while now, so after I've ordered a SD card for it, I cannot wait to have a proper play around with it! 

If you're thinking about applying for sponsorship with Channel Mum then I'd definitely say go for it.. you really do have nothing to lose but a whole lot to gain! 

If you'd like to follow along with my vlogging journey you can so by subscribing to my channel. 

 

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